


The Beach House

by fairyzhengting



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 乐华七子NEXT | NEX7, 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Drama, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, M/M, i miss nine percent, justin and adam are the only english names idk why, justin and zhengting are siblings, long fic, mainly chengstin, quanzhe and zhangjing are innocent siblings, using chengcheng's english name "adam"
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:29:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22340077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyzhengting/pseuds/fairyzhengting
Summary: Justin and his family stay the summer at a beach house, but a certain Adam Fan catches his attention.
Relationships: Bi Wenjun/Zhu Zhengting | Jung Jung, Fan Chengcheng/Huang Minghao | Justin, Lin Yanjun/You Zhangjing
Comments: 16
Kudos: 45





	1. The Beach House

They’ve been driving for hours already. 

It’s been forever since Justin and his family have last seen their relatives. Well, more like ten years ago when Justin was seven. 

“Zhengting, could you drive any slower?” Justin complained to his older brother who was driving the car. Zhengting rolled his eyes and scoffed but continued to drive at his slow pace. 

“Get your dirty feet off my dashboard.” Zhengting scolded. Justin stuck out his tongue at him and turned toward the backseat to find his mother sprawled out, asleep. He sat back in the passenger seat and turned up the air conditioning. 

It was two in the afternoon and they’ve been driving since five in the morning. The July sun beamed at them, causing Justin to squint everytime he looked up. They drove along the road of the beach and it’d only be a few more minutes until they would arrive at the beach house they’ve been anticipating since last year. 

The wind blew in his face as Justin rolled down the window, breathing in the beachy air. He leaned his head back in his seat and closed his eyes when the car came to a sudden stop. He opened his eyes and sees the house right in front of him.

The house was blue, and sat by itself at the end of the long beach. It was cute and little, but large enough to fit four families. Bushes and palm trees surrounded it, making it feel like its own little island. There was already another white car parked in the driveway. 

Zhengting got out of the car and jogged over to the trunk to take everything out. Justin stepped out of the car and stood back, admiring the blue house. He quickly snapped a picture with his phone when Zhengting slapped his arm and told him to help. 

Just as Justin was taking out his mom’s luggage, their uncle Jim comes out of the house and jogged towards them. 

“Justin! Zhengting! We’ve been waiting for you guys!” He exclaimed cheerfully, giving each of them a quick hug. “Look at how tall you’ve both gotten!” 

“Uncle Jim! Are Quanzhe and Zhangjing here yet?” Zhengting asked, giving him a charming smile. 

“They’re inside. Why don’t you two boys wake up your mother and head inside? I’ll help with your luggage.” 

Justin and Zhengting woke their mom up, who woke up with dried drool on the side of her face, they headed inside after some small talk with their uncle. As soon as Justin’s foot hit the creaky, wooden floor, he noticed how nice the house is on the inside. 

The house had vintage furniture, most of it yellow, orange, or blue. The windows took up most of the walls, letting the sunshine freely into their little nest. Plants and flowers decorated the walls and tables. There was already some sand in between the dark, oak floors. 

Justin followed Zhengting up the stairs where a long hall of bedrooms were placed. Pictures of the beach and palm trees ran along the walls and some hanging on doors. They peeked into each room curiously. 

Suddenly, heavy footsteps ran up the stairs and they turn around to see that it’s Quanzhe. 

“Zhengting! Justin!” Quanzhe ran up to them to give them a big squeeze. “We’ve been waiting for so long!” 

Quanzhe grew like a weed just like Justin as Justin was almost the same height as his twenty-three year old brother now. Quanzhe showed them each room as well as mentioning that they’re welcome to choose their own rooms. They settled on a room with two beds and an orange wall. 

As the day went on, they played some board games with Quanzhe and Zhangjing. Zhangjing mentioned how they had also invited their dad’s coworker to come along since he had nothing planned for the summer. 

“Well, that’s good. The more, the merrier, right?” Zhengting said with a smile. 

Quanzhe threw his head back laughing and Zhengting and Justin stared at him with puzzled looks. 

“That’s what you may think, Zhengting.” Quanzhe told him. 

Zhangjing jumped in and tried to explain, “What he means is that our dad’s coworker has a son and he’s coming along,” At this, Zhengting nodded. “But, his son is ignorant as hell. He always has this sort of, um,” 

“Resting bitch face.” Quanzhe answered for him. 

“Right, and he refuses to speak to anyone unless he actually has to.” 

Justin and Zhengting blinked back in surprise to their statements. Justin decided to ask, “How old is he?” 

“He’s nineteen and his name is Adam. Call him by his real name and he’ll be mad.” Quanzhe says, shuddering. 

“What’s his real name?” 

“Chengcheng. Fan Chengcheng.” 

That night, they all had dinner out on the balcony. Justin had put on a hoodie for the chilly evening breeze. Uncle Jim turned on the grill and they had burgers and salad. That’s when Justin decided to go back inside to get the drinks and just as he closed the sliding glass door, the front door opened. 

A boy that was slightly taller than him steps out. He had black hair parted in the middle with a black sweater along with a chain around his neck and a chain hanging from his jeans. He gripped a black luggage in his hand. 

Finally, he noticed Justin standing there, staring at him curiously. From one glance at him, Justin now understood what Quanzhe had meant by “resting bitch face".

“Are you Adam?” Justin asked curiously.

“Yeah.” He answered coldly. 

A man stepped out from behind Adam, most likely his dad. He wore a smug grin on his face and shook Justin’s hand without another word, and headed toward the balcony. 

Justin didn’t know who Adam was, and he didn’t know if he even wants to know, but something about Adam just makes Justin not want to tear his gaze off of him. So, he stood there, staring stupidly until Adam brushed past him and followed his dad out onto the balcony, leaving a stunned and surprised Justin standing in the middle of the living room with a pounding heart.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some more chengstin :) other ships will be coming soon!

“Zhengting,” Justin whispered. “Zhengting!”

The older boy grumbled and fluttered his eyes open. “What time is it?”

“Two in the morning.”

“You wake me up at two in the fucking morning? Go back to sleep!” 

Zhengting covered himself with his blanket and fell back into a deep sleep. The younger boy just sighed and sat back down on his bed. 

He’s been tossing and turning for hours already, mainly because of how loud Uncle Jim snores from the other room. Justin wanted to wake Zhengting up to see if they can go to the beach but after seeing how grumpy his brother got, he decided to go by himself instead. 

He pulled on a pair of ripped jeans and a sweater. Gently, he opened the creaky door and stepped out into the dark hallway where he slowly made his way over and down the stairs. Just as he made it to the main floor, he turned around and almost let out a scream.

Adam Fan. 

“What are you doing here?” Justin asked, trying to whisper as quietly as he could. 

“I should be asking you the same thing,” Adam responded plainly, emotionless as always. 

Justin could tell that Adam couldn’t sleep either. Adam was in his pajamas and it was clear that he came down just for a cup of water. Justin stepped back and mumbled a “sorry” before making his way over to the front door. 

“Where are you going?” 

The question caught Justin by surprise as he slowly turned around. He just answered with, “Nowhere.” 

“Where’s nowhere?” 

Justin crossed his arms and leaned against the door. “Just the beach.” 

“You could’ve just said that.” 

Justin shrugged and is about to turn around again when Adam said, “It’s really late, you know.” 

“I know.” 

“So, then, why are you going to the beach?” 

“Because I want to?” 

“Okay,”

Adam just shrugged and shuffled his way back into the kitchen. Justin scoffed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he simply opened the door and stepped out. 

The air was perfect. It smelled like flowers and waves. Justin skipped down the steps and ran towards the sand in his bare feet. He didn’t care about the stubby rocks that were stabbing the bottom of his toes. He just followed the breeze. 

Unfortunately, the breeze that he was following took him running straight over an empty recycling bin, causing him to crash to the ground. He yelped as he landed on the concrete, scraping his wrists and knees. He sat on the ground, staring at his bleeding knee while gritting his teeth to endure the pain. 

From the distance, he saw the door to their beach house opening. He looked back down at his injury and thought about how it was only the first night and this has already happened. Suddenly, he felt a presence kneel down in front of him and he didn’t even need to look up to know that it was Adam. 

“I fell.” Justin stated randomly. 

“I can see that.” Adam responded with. He still doesn’t smile, even when it looks like he’s trying to hold a laugh back. 

Justin tried to stand up slowly. Succeeding, he slowly limps forward with Adam trailing behind him. He didn’t even know where he was going. 

“Do you need help?” Adam asked, still following him. 

“Not really,” Justin said, heading toward the beach. 

“If you still want to go to the beach then that’s a bad idea.” 

Justin stopped and turned around to stare at him. Adam had a smirk smeared across his face and Justin so badly wanted to throw sand at him. He held his bleeding knee in one hand, leaving the other one dangling beside him. 

“I was going to wash out the germs with the water.” Justin told Adam arrogantly. He continued to limp forward until he reached the water. 

Slowly, he reached down and took a handful of water. He splashed it on his scrapes. 

“Ow!” He winced. 

“You’re using salt water. Why don’t you go back to the house and use some normal water?” Adam suggested. 

“You think I can walk all the way back to the house?” 

Adam shrugged. “I can carry you.” 

“I’m good.” 

Justin didn’t know why Adam was being weird. He splashed another handful of ocean water and this time, it stung him even more. He yelped and fell back into the sand, landing flat on his butt. 

He doesn’t realize it when Adam kneeled down in front of him, telling him to get on his back. Justin doesn’t hesitate and took up the offer, wrapping his arms around Adam’s neck making sure not to choke him. 

They started heading back towards the house, Justin’s legs dangled back and forth as Adam piggy backs him. As they were nearing, the front door to the house opens and Zhengting, their mom, and Adam’s dad all rushed out and ran over to them. Justin hopped off of Adam’s back as his mom rushed over to them. 

“Boys, where were you? Zhengting realized that you were gone.” His mom said with concern. “Did you get hurt, Justin? What happened?” 

“I’m okay, I just fell.” Justin told his mom. 

Adam’s dad walked over to Adam with a stern look on his face. Justin could feel Adam go still beside him. 

“Where were you, boy? Are you crazy or what?” Adam’s dad raised his voice and Adam dropped his head down. He looked genuinely scared. 

“Sorry, sir. We couldn’t fall asleep.” Adam answered with no emotion. 

“You better be. Or else we’re packing our bags tomorrow and leaving.” 

Justin hated the harshness in Adam’s dad’s voice. He hated the way he spoke to Adam and how his breath smelled like beer. He shot his mom a look and his mom just stared back at him sympathetically. Adam’s dad stormed away, leaving an emotionless Adam behind. 

“Adam, are you-” 

He couldn’t finish his sentence before Adam lifted his head up again, and walked back toward the house without another word.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy this dramatic little chapter :)

“Boys! Get up! We’re going to the beach!”

Justin and Zhengting’s mom were shaking them awake on their beds. Justin fluttered his eyes open. His eyes adjusted to the bright beam from the sun through his window. 

He almost felt as if last night was a complete dream. 

Zhengting and Justin both rolled out of their beds and trudged towards the washroom. They both started brushing their teeth. 

“What were you doing last night?” Zhengting asked through a mouth full of toothpaste.

“I couldn’t fall asleep so I just went to the beach.” Justin answered with. 

“And what was Adam doing there?” 

“He was downstairs as well and kept asking me questions.” 

Justin spat out his toothpaste and rinsed his mouth before washing his face. As Zhengting was putting on a face mask, he remembered the injury on Justin’s knee. 

“Is your knee okay?” Zhengting asked, admiring himself in the mirror. 

Justin looked down at his knee. It was now red and scratchy, but it stopped bleeding. He shrugged. 

After the two boys got dressed and met up with everyone downstairs, the entire house, except Adam’s dad who was still sleeping and refused to wake up, made their way toward the beach. That day was described as “the perfect day to hit the waves.” There were not too many people there since it was still quite early in the afternoon. The parents set up the blankets while all the boys went out to the waves. All the boys except for Adam, who sat in his beach chair with a towel draped over his head. 

Justin dunked Quanzhe into the cold ocean, making him shriek and chase after Justin who was running for his life. The two older brothers of the younger boys, Zhengting and Zhangjing, stood back and watched the two teenage boys run around. As Justin fell into the waves, he glanced back at Adam who was wearing sunglasses and reading a book. Justin jogged towards him, leaving Quanzhe to play with Zhengting and Zhangjing. 

As Justin approached him, Adam slowly put down his book and looked up at him with a frown on his face. 

“Yes?” Adam asked, clearly annoyed. 

“Do you want to come hang out with us?” Justin offered, standing awkwardly. 

Adam looked at the ocean then back at Justin. “No.” 

“Why not? You’re at the beach, might as well come play with us.” 

“Why do I have to?” 

“Oh c’mon,” Justin whined. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna be moody all summer and read books. Summer only comes once a year.” 

“Well, I always have next summer.” 

Adam held his book up again to block his view from Justin. Justin sighed and ran back towards the ocean.

He thought Adam was really weird, especially considering how his mood changes so much. He hated how moody Adam was and was killing the fun of this trip. Instead of worrying about it, he tried to let it go and not think too much. 

They took out the beach ball and threw that around for a bit. Justin smacked the ball too hard and sent it flying all the way across the beach. 

“Sorry, Zhengting. It’s your ball.” He shrugged apologetically at his older brother. 

Before running off to get the ball, Zhengting made sure to give Justin the middle finger. He ran to the other side of the beach to get their ball. He stopped when he saw that it was in another boy’s hands. 

The boy was tall and skinny, and had black hair that glistened in the light. He was holding their beach ball awkwardly when Zhengting slowly approached him. 

“Hi,” Zhengting smiled. “That’s my ball that you’re holding.” 

“Oh, sorry.” The tall boy handed him back the ball and chuckled nervously. 

“Are you in one of these houses?” Zhengting asked the boy curiously.

“Oh, yes. My family actually owns it and we come every summer. You?” 

Zhengting charmed his smile at him. “This is our first summer. We have the big blue house over there,” --He pointed to their house-- “also, what is your name?” 

The boy smiled. “I’m Wenjun.” 

“Cool. I’m Zhengting. I’ll see you around!” Zhengting ran back to Justin and threw the ball at him. They all stopped when they heard Adam’s dad. 

Justin almost groaned out loud when he heard the voice of Adam’s dad exclaiming, “Hey, you guys came to the beach without me?” 

Everyone seemed to tense up a bit as soon as Adam’s dad arrived, especially Adam who quickly shot up from his chair and stood up straight. His dad had two packs of beer in each hand and set it down by the beach blankets. 

“You brought more beer? How much have you been drinking?” He heard his mom ask. 

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Adam’s dad replied in his husky voice. 

Adam’s brows furrowed and his fists were nearly clenched. Justin could see the way his back was tensed up that he was getting mad. 

“Dad, you should stop drinking.” Adam suddenly spoke up. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Adam as they were all surprised at his tone of voice. 

Justin’s mom nodded sympathetically. “You should really listen to your son, I think he’s just looking out for you and-” 

Adam’s dad stomped over to Adam until he was chest to chest with him. His teeth were gritted and he had a snarl on his face. 

“What did you just say to me?” Adam’s dad growled. This time, Adam didn’t look scared. He stood his ground. 

“I said, you should stop drinking so much. You’re turning into an alcoholic.” 

“How dare you!” Adam’s dad grabbed a fistfull of Adam’s white T-shirt and sneered. “We’re going right now. You are going to come with me.” 

He then marched away, pulling harshly on Adam’s wrist. Justin wanted to follow them but Zhengting stopped him and shook his head at him apologetically. 

“But what about Adam?” Justin asked, worried but he didn’t know why. 

Zhengting looked hesitant. “He’ll be okay, Justin. Don’t worry.” 

Justin had a gut feeling. He looked at the house, then back to his brother before he pulled away from Zhengting’s grip and ran toward the house. He ignored all the calls of everyone yelling at him. Instead, he just worried about what was going to happen to Adam.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'smile' doesn't even feel like a word anymore and you'll see why lol

Justin slowly slid open the glass doors. “Adam?” 

Adam wasn’t anywhere in sight and neither was his dad, something about that made Justin feel sick to his stomach. He walked further into the house like he was breaking into someone else's house. He still didn’t find Adam. Then, he opened the door to the laundry room. 

At first, Justin didn’t see him as Adam was curled up in the very corner of the dark room. When he looked over, the sunray glistened off the top of Adam’s light brown hair. It was golden hour, and right then and there Justin thought that there was no one as alluring as Adam was. Gently, he shut the door behind him. 

“Adam,” He sat down in front of him, the sunlight captured both of them in the puny room. “Are you okay?” 

Adam had his knees hugged to his chest, his head buried. He looked up when Justin spoke. He had no tears in his eyes, but what was there was pain. Pain and emptiness. 

“Leave me alone, Justin.” He declared. 

“How do you know my name?” Justin knew that it was not a good time to ask that question, but he thought that it could lift the mood. He walked towards Adam and sat down in front of him, crossing his legs. 

“I’m not stupid.” 

Justin was taken aback with his response, but knowing Adam and his comebacks, it could’ve been much worse. 

“Where’s your dad?” Justin asked cautiously. 

“He went out for a drive but he’ll be back.” 

“Are you really going to leave?” 

Adam looked at Justin with hopeful eyes. “I don’t know.” 

Justin shifted and closed his eyes before opening them again. “Zhengting always told me that if you were feeling down, you should try to find a way to laugh. Is there something that you usually laugh at, Adam?” 

Adam shook his head.

“Well, why don’t we start by smiling?” 

Justin smiled first and Adam felt like he could endure any type of pain by watching Justin smile. It felt like Justin could light up the whole world when he smiled. He nudged Adam’s foot with his foot, letting him know that it was his turn. 

When Adam smiled, Justin couldn’t look away. 

It was the first time he watched him smile. He had rows and rows of perfect white teeth. His bottom lip jutted out slightly as his cheeks puffed out. Very charming, Justin thought. 

“Do you feel better now?” Justin asked, still watching him smile. 

Adam truly meant it when he nodded at Justin’s question, making Justin feel like he really did something. Just then, the door swung open and they both looked to see who it was. 

“Oh, sorry.” Zhengting was standing at the door with Zhangjing and Quanzhe peeking out from behind him. “Are you guys okay?” 

Justin and Adam looked at each other before turning back to Zhengting and nodding. 

“I think we are okay,” Justin said. 

“Good. We were worried about you guys.” There was a silence before Zhengting asked, “Want to come out?” 

Justin stood up and offered Adam a hand before he took it. They all headed out of the laundry room and back out on the beach. Justin’s mom rubbed circles on Adam’s back when she hugged him and gave Justin a proud look. After talking to the parents about what they were going to do, they decided to play some games. 

Adam couldn’t stop staring at Justin. He found Justin so fascinating and interesting, and wondered how someone could be so patient and caring. He admits that he hasn’t been the nicest to Justin, or anyone really, but he hopes to change that. Sometimes Justin would catch his eye and smile, and Adam would smile back. When Justin smiled, Adam could feel butterflies in his stomach and his eyes glistened in awe. 

As the sun set, they were called back inside to eat dinner. Adam’s dad still hasn't returned but it was a relief for everyone. 

“I hope you boys like fish!” Justin’s mom exclaimed happily. The mood immediately lifted when she was around. 

Justin admired his mom. The woman who had birthed him and had so much patience and love for him, Zhengting, and everyone around them. She treated every child like her own, and Justin admired her so much for that. He wanted to be like her. He wanted to be a father one day and treat his kids like how his mom treated him. What Justin wanted most in life was to find love and build a family. 

That night after dinner, Justin washed up and crawled into bed with warmth in his body. Zhengting was still in the shower and it would be a long time before he’d come out, so Justin had a lot of time to himself. He pulled out a book and was about to start reading when someone knocked on the door. 

“Come in!” He called out. 

The door opened, revealing a flushed Adam in his pajamas. Instantly, a smile spread across his face.

“Hey, Justin.” Adam began. “I just wanted to say thank you for today.”

Justin shook his head slowly, “You don’t have to thank me.” 

“No, I think I do.” Adam responded quickly. “Also, sorry about my dad. He’s an ass.” 

“It’s not your fault.” 

“I feel like it is.” 

“Adam, you’re not responsible for his actions and words. Don’t be too hard on yourself.” 

“Yeah, I guess.” A comfortable silence fell over the, as they stared at each other. “Anyways, goodnight.” 

“Night’.” 

And just like that, Adam stepped out and shut the door. Justin couldn’t focus on his book and kept repeating the conversation in his head when Zhengting came in, wearing a robe. 

“Who was in here?” Zhengting asked as he got changed. 

Justin looked at the ceiling. “Adam.” 

“You two have gotten close, huh?” 

“Yeah,” He sighed. “I guess so.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm late ): Sorry for keeping you guys waiting, but in return for that: here is a longer chapter with more words and more ships. this will be a good one, i promise!

Theo excitedly jumped up from his seat on the couch. The boys were in the living room watching a movie when Theo started squealing. 

“Guys!” He exclaimed. “Let’s go to the boardwalk tonight!”

Zhangjing groaned. “I was going to watch my show tonight.” 

“Well, then stay home and watch your movie. No one’s forcing you to come.” 

Zhangjing looked hesitant before saying, “okay, fine.” 

No one else seemed to be opposed to Zhengting’s plan. And Justin had been wanting to go to the boardwalk ever since they’ve arrived. 

“So, no one’s going to argue?” Zhengting asked. 

Everyone shook their heads and murmured in agreement. It was already four o’clock, so they decided to finish the movie before heading upstairs to get changed. Justin quickly threw on a white T-shirt and shorts before Zhengting abruptly stopped him. 

“What are you wearing?” Zhengting asked with a tinge of disgust smeared across his attractive features. 

“This,” Justin explained simply. 

“Oh no, no, you’re not wearing that to the boardwalk Justin. There’s going to be people there. Teenagers, especially. And you might meet someone.” Zhengting wiggled his eyebrows while Justin rolled his eyes at his lovesick older brother. 

“Zhengting, I’m not going to the boardwalk to date.” 

“Why? Wait, do you already have someone in mind?” 

Justin flushed and Zhengting immediately noticed, causing the smile on his face to grow. “N-no.” 

“Whatever you say~” 

“Okay, fine! Then, choose me an outfit!” 

Zhengting dug through Justin’s clothes and pulled out a pair of ripped, blue jeans. Instead of changing Justin’s shirt, he threw him a lightweight, light blue jacket and told Justin to put it on. 

“You should get your ears pierced,” Zhengting told Justin as he put on the jacket. 

“No thank you,” Justin told him as they headed towards the door. 

Everyone was waiting for them downstairs already, including Adam who was wearing a red and yellow striped, long sleeves shirt and denim shorts. 

“Hey,” Justin greeted as they made it downstairs. 

“Hey,” Adam greeted back. 

They all put on their shoes and headed out the door, towards the boardwalk. The sun was almost setting and the weather was perfect with the breeze. It truly was an amazing evening. 

The boardwalk was colourful and noisy. There was a ferris wheel standing tall above all the other rides and games. The place was filled with couples which made Justin feel slightly uncomfortable and jealous. The boys lined up to get tickets as they each pulled out their money. They planned for what they were going to do while waiting in line. When it was their turn, they each bought ten tickets. 

“Let’s go to the twisty twister first.” Zhengting suggested as they started walking towards it. When they reached the ride, Zhangjing seemed a bit hesitant. 

“Zhangjing, are you okay?” Justin asked, noticing how the older was shifting uncomfortably. 

“Um, I don’t really like twisty rides. They make me really dizzy and sick.” Zhangjing told them. 

Zhengting slapped his arm playfully. “Why didn’t you say so? I’ll stay with you while these kids ride.” 

Zhangjing shook his head and offered a smile. “No, it’s okay. You can go with them. I’ll stay here and buy us something to eat.” 

“Are you sure? Because I’ll stay here with you.”

“I’m sure, Zhengting. Now go ride.” 

Zhangjing left them to the ride and started walking around the food vendors. He spotted a little ice cream cart and decided to buy everyone ice cream. As he approached the food cart, he noticed the guy working behind it. 

“Hi,” Zhangjing greeted. “What flavours do you have?” 

“We have strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, lemon, and mango.” The cart guy said with a smile. When he smiled, he had dimples that dug into his cheeks. Zhangjing had to admit that the guy was quite charming. 

“Can I have one ice cream for each flavour? So, five ice creams?” 

“You got it,” 

The cart guy started digging into the ice cream with a scoop and slapping them onto four cones. He set them into a stand and rounded up Zhangjing’s total. 

“And your total is eight dollars but since you’re cute, I’ll give them to you for five.” He winked. 

Zhangjing’s face coloured with red before quickly taking out eight dollars. “Here. Take the eight dollars.” 

The guy smiled teasingly. “If you say so. I didn't catch your name.” 

“Zhangjing. And can I have a spoon?” 

“Zhangjing, I’m Yanjun. And I’d let you have my heart.” Zhangjing coloured again and grabbed the spoons. He thanked Yanjun before he hurriedly ran away. 

“Wait, your ice cream!” Yanjun called out after him. 

Zhangjing stopped suddenly and ran back to the cart for his ice cream. He chuckled nervously. “Well, look at me. I’m a mess today.” 

“A cute mess.” 

Once again, Yanjun flashed a teasing smile and Zhangjing flushed. He took the ice creams with the stand and quickly left after thanking Yanjun again. 

As he walked away, the other boys immediately spotted him and ran over. 

“Did you get us ice cream, or is that all for yourself?” Justin teased.

“Shut it, Justin. And you know that it’s for you guys. Pick your flavour.” 

They each randomly grabbed a cone from the stand and licked their almost melting ice cream. 

“We want to go ride the ferris wheel.” Zhengting told Zhangjing. 

“But it only holds two people per cart, doesn’t it?” Zhangjing asked. 

“Oh, really? That kind of blows...guess we’ll go in pairs.” Zhengting shrugged. “Also, who was that guy over there?” 

“Oh, him? He sold me my ice cream.” 

“You’re lucky, Zhangjing. He’s hot.” 

“Ew, Zhengting.” Justin and Quanzhe sneered while Adam stood beside Justin, expressionless as always. 

“He’s not hot, and he’s so weird.” 

“Hm. Hot guys are weird.” 

Just as Zhengting was about to take another lick of his ice cream, he spotted the boy from the beach. Wenjun. 

“Guys, wait for me.” He said before he marched over to the tall and lanky Wenjun who stood above everyone else. He was at a carnival game and going through his cash. “Hey, Wenjun!”

As soon as Wenjun saw Zhengting approach him, he smiled. “Hey! Zhengting from the beach, right?” 

“Yup, that’s me. What are you doing?” 

“I’m trying to win that stuffed Pikachu for my little brother.” 

“Awe, that’s so sweet of you. I’m over there with my cousins, my brother, and his friend.” 

“You go everywhere with them. What are you guys doing here?” 

“Oh, we just wanted to check the boardwalk out. It’s pretty cool.” 

“So, are you gonna play or not?” The vendor owner grunted at Wenjun. 

“Right, sorry about that.” 

Wenjun handed him his cash and the vendor owner gave him a bucket of ducks in return. 

“How long have you been here for?” Zhengting asked curiously. 

“We came around an hour or so. My family are lining up for the ferris wheel but I had no one to ride with, so I came here.” Wenjun tossed a duck into a bucket and Zhengting cheered for him. 

“Oh...well, we wanted to ride the ferris wheel too but I have no one to ride with either…” Zhengting bit his lip in hesitation. “Do you, maybe, want to ride together?” 

Wenjun tossed a duck into another bucket but missed. He turned around and stared at Zhengting before smiling again. “Sure, not a problem.” 

“Cool,” Zhengting smiled happily.

Wenjun finished his game and won a small panda bear instead of the big Pikachu. He frowned. “Do you want it?” 

“It’s okay, I don’t really know what to do with it.” 

“Are you sure? Because I don’t need it.” 

Zhengting smiled and accepted the offer as he took the small panda bear into his hands. He met up with the other boys with Wenjun. Justin and Adam were smushing their ice creams together while Zhangjing and Quanzhe stared at them in disgust. 

“What are you guys doing?” Zhengting asked as he approached them. 

“Justin and Adam wanted to see what Mango and Chocolate would taste like together.” Quanzhe said, pretending to gag. 

“Ew, stop it, it’s going to taste gross.” Zhengting sneered. “Anyway, this is Wenjun. I met him at the beach the other day. Wenjun, this is Justin, my disgusting brother. Quanzhe and Zhangjing, the innocent siblings who are my cousins. And Adam, who my brother has a crush on,”--Justin’s head shot up at the comment and Adam blushed-- “he’s also a friend.” 

“Cool, you got the whole squad.” 

“Yeah, but they’re a handful.” 

Wenjun laughed softly and the rest of the boys stared at them. 

Zhengting clapped his hands together before saying, “Okay, ferris wheel time. Who’s coming?” 

They stood in line for the ferris wheel. The pairs were Quanzhe and Zhangjing, Zhengting and Wenjun, and Justin and Adam. 

“You know Zhangjing, you should ask that ice cream cart guy to come ride with you.” Zhengting suggested. 

“Sh-shut up, Zhengting.” 

In front of them was a couple making out and they stopped when it was their turn to board. The ferris wheel was labelled as “the cart of love” and was flashing with pink and red lights. When they boarded, a man dressed in a pink suit and hat told them, “Have fun, lovebirds.” 

Quanzhe and Zhangjing boarded next and before the man spoke, they made sure to tell him that they were siblings. The man told them to have fun but minus the ‘lovebirds.’ They waited for a while before Zhengting and Wenjun boarded. 

“Are you guys siblings too?” The man asked as he opened their cart door. 

Zhengting laughed. “No, just friends.” 

“Just friends, for now. Have fun and stay friendly!” 

Then, it was just Adam and Justin left. 

“What side do you want to sit on?” Justin asked Adam. 

“Can I be honest, Justin?” Adam said. Immediately, Justin’s heart started pounding quicker and louder. 

“Y-yeah. Of course you can be honest with me.” Justin’s face flushed with red as he hoped that Adam would say what he wanted him to say. 

“I’m actually afraid of heights.” Is what Adam said instead. 

“Oh,” Justin slouched in disappointment. “Then, do you still want to go on?” 

“Yeah, if you want to go on then obviously I’ll come with you.” 

“Okay,” Justin tried to hide his red tinted face. 

The wheel came to a stop and the man let them on. “Have fun, lovebirds!” 

Justin stared at Adam, knowing that he was also holding in a laugh. When their cart started rising, they both bursted out into laughter causing the cart to shake. 

“Whoa, whoa!” Adam stopped laughing and tried to steady the cart. 

“It’s okay, Adam. We’re not going to fall.” 

“Sorry, I’ve never been on a ferris wheel before.”

“You haven’t?” Adam shook his head. “Oh, well ferris wheels are perfectly safe. You don’t have to worry about a thing.” 

“Okay, I hope not.” 

“Just relax and feel the breeze. Try to close your eyes.” Justin suggested

“Do it with me.” 

Justin nodded and they both shut their eyes, trying to feel the breeze. When Justin’s eyes were still shut, Adam slowly opened his eyes only to stare at Justin’s stunning face. 

“See? Perfectly safe, right?” Justin asked, eyes still shut. 

“Yeah,” Adam said, still staring at Justin with his eyes open. “Perfectly safe.” 

When Justin’s eyelids fluttered open, Adam immediately squeezed his eyes shut before reopening them. They both looked down at the boardwalk. 

It was the most picturesque evening as the sun was setting and the lights of the carnival were flashing. The waves were jewel-blue and the skies were like cotton candy. The sun fell below the horizon and lit up a shivering path onto the water. Justin rested his chin on the cart and gazed at the beautiful scenery. Adam just stared at Justin's face and didn’t care if he was missing the stunning views of the beach. Justin could make up for whatever view there was in the world. 

“Justin, I think I’m in-” 

Just as he spoke, the cart came to a sudden stop and their ride was over. The pink suited man opened up the little door and let them out. They walked towards the others who were waiting for them. 

“How was your ride?” Zhengting asked. 

“Good,” Justin told him. “Can we go home now?” 

They all started heading home and Adam couldn’t stop thinking about what he almost said. Even worse, he didn’t even know what he was feeling around Justin. ‘It’s not love,’ He kept telling himself. He knew that it would just be an endless tunnel that Justin kept sweeping him into, and he knew that it would keep going if he didn’t try to do anything to stop it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i am back with another chapter! this chapter is short, but i wanted to make it special. so if u dont have any trouble with reading while listening to music, i suggest you listen to one of these songs while reading this chapter :) 
> 
> for a romantic feeling: mystery of love - soundtrack from 'call me by your name' by sufjan stevens 
> 
> for a good/aesthetic feeling: locket - crumb
> 
> for a hopeful feeling: crush culture - conan gray

Justin woke up at five in the morning, not feeling like going back to sleep. He stared out the window until his eyes caught sight of the public swimming pool. Immediately, he shot out of his bed and threw some proper clothes on along with his swimsuit. He quietly walked down the hall, knowing exactly where he was going. He quietly opens the door to Adam’s room. 

“Adam,” Justin whispered in the darkness. 

Adam shifted in his bed when Justin flicked the lights on. “Justin?” He grumbled. “What are you doing?” 

“I woke up and didn’t want to fall back asleep. Do you want to come swimming with me?” 

“Where?” 

“The pool.” 

“Isn’t it closed?” 

“Too bad.” 

Adam slowly climbed out of bed, knowing that he couldn’t decline Justin’s request. He grabbed his swim trunks and nodded towards the door. “Alright,” He said. “Let’s go.” 

The two boys quickly but quietly ran out of the house together, barefooted. They ran towards the pool which really was closed and the gate was locked. 

“Oh,” Justin let out sadly. “I guess we can’t get in then.” 

Adam couldn’t bear the disappointed look on Justin’s face, so he didn’t hesitate when he climbed over the metal gate, replacing Justin’s gloomy face with surprise...until he jumped over as well. The two boys threw off their regular clothes in exchange for their swim trunks and dived into the freezing water. 

The sun was just about to rise as the dark clouds moved quicker and quicker. The frosty air didn’t bother Justin, neither did the cold water. He didn’t care if they were going to get in trouble or not, and simply splashed around in the water with Adam. 

Adam stared at Justin in amazement. He watched every his every move; the way he turned around, the way he moved his hands, and so on. He thought that he would never get tired of watching Justin and his amusing reactions. 

Justin swam around like a fish. Adam tried to follow him but Justin was too fast as he flopped around the water. When Justin reached the surface for air, he started laughing.  
“Want to have a race?” He asked Adam who was staring at him with a blank face. 

“You already know you’re going to win,” Adam stated simply, raising an eyebrow. 

“I know, that’s like, the whole point.” 

Adam rolled his eyes but smiled. “Okay, fine. But give me a head start.” 

They lined up at the wall and Justin let Adam swim first before he started swimming, catching up to Adam in no time. They swam at the same pace for a few seconds before Justin started kicking harder and beating Adam as his hand reached the other wall. 

“I win!” Justin exclaimed happily. 

They were both panting, clearly out of breath. The sun had just started rising indicating that it was almost time for them to go back into the house. They both knew they needed to go back, but neither of them moved. 

The sun was now glistening down at them as the sky slowly turned orange. The two boys climbed out of the pool but sat at the edge, dangling their feet in the water. A comfortable silence fell over them as they both watched the sky turn blue.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments make me really happy so please feel free to add any 🥰 also I didn’t really proof read this so I’m sorry if there are any mistakes

Zhengting was helping Justin go through his clothes. It was six in the evening and Quanzhe heard that there was a party going on at the beach. Apparently, it was thrown by a group of college kids who were staying at another house they all rented together. Justin huffed as he flopped down on his bed. “Zhengting, I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s just a party,” 

“Just a party?” Zhengting scoffed. 

Finally, Zhengting pulled out a pair of very ripped, blue jeans and a white shirt with words on it. “Put that on,” He commanded as he threw the clothes on Justin’s face.

Justin changed into the clothes while Zhengting started rummaging around his closet for his outfit. He pulled out a pair of black ripped jeans and a black collared shirt with butterflies on it. While he changed, he looked over at Justin. 

“You should curl your hair a bit.” Zhengting suggested. 

Justin shrugged. “I’m probably going to burn myself and we’re probably going to be late.” 

“No one shows up on time for a party.” 

“Well, considering the pace you’re going at, we’re going to be very late.” 

Zhengting threw a hanger at him but Justin dodged in time. He stuck his tongue out at the older boy before running out of their room and down the stairs. Zhangjing was in the kitchen, making a bowl of cereal for himself when Justin skipped in. “Hey,” He greeted. 

“You’re wearing that?” Zhangjing asked. “You’re going to be really cold, Justin.” 

“Zhengting made me wear it.” 

“Of course he did.” 

Zhangjing took a bite of his cereal and chewed it happily. “I don’t care about getting married to a human, I’m going to get married to cinnamon toast crunch.” 

Just then, Adam walked in. He was wearing black jeans with a black shirt and an oversized sweater on top. “Who’s getting married to cereal?” 

“Zhangjing.” Justin smiled, happy to see that Adam’s mood has gotten better over the past week. 

“Can I try some?” Adam asked shyly. 

“Yeah, of course! Just don’t eat it all.” Zhangjing told him as he handed him a spoon. 

Adam dug into the cereal. “It’s very sweet.” He munched. 

“Have you never had it before?” Zhangjing asked in disbelief. 

Adam shook his head and Zhangjing gasped overdramatically. 

“Don’t be so dramatic, Zhangjing.” Justin rolled his eyes. 

The sliding glass door opened and Quanzhe stepped in. “You guys still haven't left yet?” 

“We’re waiting on my brother.” Justin stated. 

“Of course we are.” Zhangjing added.

As if on cue, footsteps clomped down the stairs and Zhengting entered the kitchen. He was decked out in sunglasses and everything, even though it was only just a party at the beach. Justin just stood there, not even surprised that his brother would dress up for a little party thrown by college kids. Zhengting stood at the doorway, waiting for a reaction from everyone. Zhangjing was the first to speak. 

“Don’t tell me you’re wearing heels with that as well.” He teased. 

“Fuck you. I don’t even own a pair of heels.” Zhengting responded. 

Justin announced that they should leave and everyone else agreed, and so they all left the house and started toward the beach. The sun was just setting, and the sky looked like cotton candy. They could hear the music blaring from where a large group of teenagers and young adults were standing. Some were in the ocean, some were dancing, and some were mingling. They neared the party scene and Justin started to get nervous as it was basically his first party.

A guy, Zhengting’s height, walked up to them. “Hey guys,” he greeted and charmed with a smile. “Welcome to the party. I’m Cai Xukun, if you need anything just come ask me.” 

Cai Xukun walked away, leaving behind a stunned Zhengting. 

“Zhengting, snap out of it.” Justin snapped. 

“Aren’t you dating that guy anyway? What’s his name again? Wenjun?” Quanzhe scratched his head. 

“We’re not dating, Quanzhe. And I just think the Cai Xukun guy is cute, okay? Now let’s go enjoy the party.” 

Justin dragged Adam away by his wrist. He didn’t realize at first when Adam slid his hand down which then fell right into Justin’s hand perfectly. Justin turned around to look at Adam who seemed to be completely unfazed. He pulled them up to one of the coolers and took out two bottles of water. He handed one to Adam. 

“Have you ever been to a party before?” Justin asked. Adam shook his head. “What exactly have you done before?” 

“Not really anything, to be honest.” Adam released their hands to take a sip of his water. Justin then remembered that they were holding hands and his cheeks flushed. He awkwardly wiped his clammy hand on the back of his jeans. Adam’s eyes followed the action as he tried to hold in a chuckle. 

“What?” Justin asked, noticing the way Adam’s eyes smiled. 

“Nothing,” Adam reassured him. Justin just stared at him like he didn’t believe him. “Really! It’s nothing.” 

“Whatever you say~” 

Adam decided to give in from the way Justin was staring at him. “Okay fine.” He breathed out. “It’s cute whenever your cheeks turn red.” 

That just made Justin’s cheeks turn redder as he immediately looked down to hide his face. He tried to calm down his breathing and dug his feet into the sand. The music drowned out and all Justin could hear was his heartbeat thumping in his chest. He hoped Adam couldn’t hear it. 

Luckily, he was saved by Quanzhe who ran over to them, panting like a puppy. “Justin, we have an emergency.” He panted. “Your brother...is flirting...with the Cai Xukun guy...but the Wenjun guy...is standing over there.” 

“Ugh, Zhengting.” Justin whined to no one in particular. “Does he know Wenjun’s here?” 

“Nope,” 

Justin looked over at Adam apologetically. “Sorry, Adam. I’ll be right back, I just need to deal with my brother for a sec. Quanzhe stay with him.” 

“Okay, I’ll stay with your boyfriend.” Quanzhe teased. 

Justin opened his mouth to protest when he realized that he kind of liked the comment. Instead he just muttered a “shut up” before going over to Zhengting. 

“Oh, Justin!” Zhengting exclaimed. “Kun kun, this is my brother.” 

“Nice to meet you, Justin.” Xukun greeted once again. 

“You too,” Justin tugged on Zhengting’s sleeve and whispered into his ear, “Wenjun’s here.” 

“I know that,” Zhengting said. “I’m just-” He looked over at Xukun who was standing awkwardly. Zhengting lowered his voice. “I’m just making conversation. It’s not that big of a deal.” 

“Okay, I’m just saying.” 

They both looked over at Xukun again who waved, signaling them that he was there. Zhengting smiled. “Excuse us for one minute, please.” 

Zhengting pulled Justin away harshly. “What’s up with you and Adam?” 

“What do you mean?” Justin asked cluelessly. 

“You know what I mean.” 

“Nothing. We’re just friends.” 

“Friends?” Zhengting raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Friends don’t flirt like that and hold each other’s hand.” 

“They can.” 

“Jeez, you’re literally so annoying. Bye, I’m going back to Xukun.” 

“Yes Zhengting, go back to Kun Kun.” Justin mocked. 

Instead of responding, Zhengting turned around and made his way back to Xukun. Meanwhile, Zhangjing was standing alone with his red cup filled with watered down alcohol which he drank slowly, even though it was watered down. Suddenly, he saw a familiar face making their way towards him when he suddenly noticed that the familiar face belonged to a certain ice cream cart guy named Yanjun. 

“Hello, Zhangjing.” Yanjun greeted, a hand in his pocket. “We meet again.”

“Hello, Yanjun.” Zhangjing tried to force a smile on his face. 

“What brings you here tonight?” Yanjun asked. 

“Just here with my brothers and my brother.” Zhangjing answered simply. 

“Sweet.” Yanjun smiled which made his dimples appear. 

“Yeah,” Zhangjing stood awkwardly. “I’m going to go check on them, if you don’t mind.” 

“Oh, I don’t mind. Do you mind if I come with you?” 

“Um,” Zhangjing was left speechless. “I...guess not.” 

Yanjun followed Zhangjing as he made his way over to Zhengting and Xukun. He made sure to glance over at Adam and Justin to make sure that they were doing okay. Quanzhe grabbed a coke before joining in with Zhengting, Xukun, Zhangjing, and Yanjun in their conversation. Not long after, Adam and Justin joined in too. And of course, Wenjun spotted Zhengting and started talking to him, making Xukun eye them suspiciously. 

The sun went down and the sky was now dark blue with stars splattered across the night sky. Justin regrets listening to Zhengting and wearing a short sleeved shirt with no sweater whatsoever. He made sure to give his brother a death glare when he started to shiver. 

The death glare only remained for a few seconds though, because he felt a fabric being put around his shoulders and a hand wrapping around his arms. He turned around to see who it was when his eyes met Adam’s. Adam smiled softly down at him which made Justin’s heart flutter. He looked down at his feet again as he could feel the heat rising up his face. He hoped that Adam couldn’t hear the loud sound of his heart pounding.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i knowww i haven’t updated in over a month and im REALLYYYY sorry ): hopefully during my “quarantine” time, ill try to update as much as i can since i don’t rly have anything else to do, but no promises because im rly lazy =.= this chapter is rly short and disgusting I CANT WRITE FLUFF WITHOUT DISGUSTING MYSELF OMG but pls enjoy :)) wait is this fluff? idk if it is...ok, im gonna stop rambling now.

The two stood there awkwardly with Zhengting, Xukun, Wenjun, Quanzhe, Yanjun, and Zhangjing trying not to be too obvious while staring at them. No, not ‘staring’... ‘gawking’ is more like it. 

“Well...it was nice meeting you guys,” Xukun claimed. “Nice talking to you, Zhengting. I think I’m going to go join my friends now though...have fun you guys!” And with that, he left abruptly.

The rest of the boys remained silent until Adam removed his hand from Justin’s arms and cleared his throat, awkward as ever. Justin tugged on Adam’s sweater that was around his shoulders. 

Yanjun, who was clueless as ever, spoke up first, “so...how long have you guys been dating?”

Said persons’ heads shot up in surprise. “Me?” They both questioned in unison. 

Yanjun chuckled at the two. “Yes, you two.”

“Oh…” Justin began. “We’re not dating…”

Yanjun raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised. “You’re not?”

“No…” responded Justin

Yanjun then looked around the circle of boys, staring at each person for assurance before turning back to Adam and Justin whose faces were coloured pink. He laughs awkwardly and stuffs his bony hands into his pockets, shifting from one foot to another. Zhengting could undoubtedly see that his brother and Adam were clearly uncomfortable in the awkward atmosphere. “So, your name is Yanjun right?” Zhengting asked politely, breaking up the awkward tension. 

“Yes, sir, that’s me.” Yanjun saluted playfully, offering Zhengting an alluring dimpled smile. 

“Hm,” Zhengting crossed his arms and silently challenged him to a staring contest, though Yanjun didn’t know that, he just stared back. When Wenjun was the first to clear his throat, Zhengting automatically looked away and up at Wenjun. Wenjun smiled politely before telling everyone that he was going to grab a drink. When he left, Zhengting followed him, leaving Adam, Justin, Zhangjing, Yanjun, And Quanzhe left to conversate. Adam and Justin excused themselves and left the group before things could get more uncomfortable than it already was. 

They settled themselves far away from the bonfire where everyone was crowded around, sitting down in the chilly sand. Justin slipped his arms into the armholes of Adam’s sweater. “I’ll, uh, give it back later,” he assured him, making a mental note in his mind to give Adam’s sweater back when they get back to the house. 

“Oh, it’s fine,” Adam dismisses. 

“What?”

“I...I mean, you can keep it…only if you want to, though.” Adam told him nervously. Justin giggled at the way Adam wasn’t able to form his sentence properly and pulled the sweater impossibly tighter around his body, inhaling in Adam’s scent. 

“Is this your first party?” Justin asked out of the blue. 

Adam nodded, glancing over to catch the younger boy’s eyes. He doesn’t look away though when he gets captured in them. Justin returned the action, carefully and slowly observing Adam’s hopeful eyes before his own slowly traced down to the other boy’s lips. Immediately, he pulled his gaze away fully and stared at the ocean. His rosy cheeks became even rosier as he rethought about what just happened and why he would stare at Adam’s lips. 

Did he like him? 

Justin shook his thoughts away and snuck a glance over at Adam who was staring at him with no shame. Justin automatically looked away again, turning redder than he was before and buried his head in his knees. “Adam,” he said muffled. “Do you mind getting me a drink?” 

Without saying anything, Adam simply stood up and left, going to grab Justin the drink that he requested. The younger boy is finally left alone and has a few minutes to think before Adam returns. He sighed and let the thoughts run through his head. 

Do I like him? What’s happening? Is it just a crush? Or is it...love? 

No, he thought. I’m not in love. I can’t be in love. 

He couldn’t decide since he was only a teenager. He’s never fallen in love, so how would he know what love feels like? What does love feel like? Justin had so many questions that he didn’t know the answer to. For some reason, he found himself turning around and trying to spot his older brother who had been in love many times before. 

He found Zhengting talking to Wenjun. Well, it was more like flirting in Justin’s eyes. Justin sighed, seeing his brother so naive and falling in love with a stranger once again. He admits, he wanted to get up and walk straight up to Zhengting to ask him about what love feels like. Luckily, Adam returns with a Coca Cola in his hand before he could go anywhere. 

“All they had was Coca Cola left,” The older boy spoke gently as he sat down again. Justin only nodded as his answer and took the fizzy drink from his hand. 

He didn’t dare look at Adam as he knew that he’d get lost in his eyes once again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's another chapter

It’s been two weeks since they’ve arrived at the beach house. One more month until they leave. The past week was them going to the beach, the boardwalk, and exploring the little town. Everything was going well and there were no problems or difficulties, other than one thing for sure. 

Adam’s dad.

Adam’s dad still hasn’t returned, still, it was a relief for everyone. Everyone except Adam who was sprawled out on the couch, uselessly overthinking. He was worried as he let the endless possibilities of what might’ve happened to his father run through his head. 

Could he have gotten into a car accident? Was a possibility that Adam was holding on to.

The day his dad left, he wasn’t sober, not particularly drunk, but definitely not sober. Although Adam didn’t know a lot of things, he knew a few of the many accidents that have happened because of drinking while driving. His dad could be hospitalized...or even worse, dead.

Adam didn’t want to think about that right now as shivers crawl down his spine. He flipped over so that his face was stuffed into a pillow as he let out a muffled groan. He layed like that for a while, eventually finding comfort and wanting to fall asleep when he heard footsteps clomp down the stairs. 

He hoped that it was the one person he’s been wanting to see since the sun rose. 

When he looked up to see that it was Quanzhe instead, he let his head drop back down into the pillow, disappointed. 

“Thanks a lot,” Quanzhe exclaimed, rolling his eyes. “If you’re wondering where Justin is, he’s at the grocery store with his mom and Zhengting.” 

Adam looked back up at Quanzhe who was leaning nonchalantly against the kitchen island, sipping a glass of lemonade. “I was not wondering where Justin was,” Adam lied. 

“Uh-huh, and Zhengting totally doesn’t fall in love with every good looking guy he meets. What a world we live in.” 

The little hamster pushed himself off the kitchen island and started up the stairs. Adam sighed, groaned, and slammed his head into the pillow once again. He must’ve fallen asleep because when his eyelids fluttered open, he was facing the ceiling. His ear twitched when he heard the sound of keys jingling, low voices, and the front door being opened. He craned his neck up so that he could see who was coming in. 

Zhengting walked inside, holding a big brown bag stuffed with groceries. Justin followed after him, also holding a brown bag, and their mom was left behind to lock the door. 

“Oh, hey Adam,” Theo greeted as he set down the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter along with Justin’s bag of groceries. Justin turned around to spot Adam on the couch. Adam could tell by the look on Justin’s face that either he had something on his face or that his hair was sticking up. He solved the question by patting down his hair to see that it was indeed, sticking up. 

Justin chuckled lightly as he made his way toward Adam, sitting down at the edge when he reached the couch. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his head back, partially resting himself on Adam’s stomach. 

“I’m so tired,” Justin stated wearily, his statement then initiating a yawn which was contaged to Adam. 

“You’re tired from bringing back groceries? How tiring.” Adam said sarcastically, making Justin slap his arm and muttering, “shut up.” 

Adam laughed at the younger boy, thinking it was cute how pouty he was. Justin closed his eyes, in an attempt to fall asleep. All Adam wanted to do was reach over and poke his cheek, boop his nose, or ruffle his hair. He knew what he really wanted to do, though, was kiss him. 

“Adam Fan, stop staring. I feel like your eyes are burning a hole in my skin.” Justin said, peeking an eye open to stare back at Adam. 

“Well, what else am I supposed to do? You’re blocking my only way of escaping this couch,” Adam knew that was a lie. As weird as it sounds, he loved having Justin sit on his stomach. 

“Hm, too bad then. You’re just going to have to stare at me since I’m not gonna get up anytime soon.”

Justin closed his eye and shifted slightly in his spot. Adam sighed and his head fell back to the pillow. He tried to fall asleep again. 

When he woke up this time, he was met with a head full of blonde hair. His eyes widened when he came to a realization that it was Justin’s blonde hair. His eyes widened, even more, when he felt a pair of hands gripping tightly onto his shirt. 

“Justin?” He muttered out, voice slightly hoarse and groggy from sleeping. 

He noticed how the afternoon sunlight had turned into an evening dimness as he looked out the window to see a dark blue sky, the sun completely was gone and the only light from a lamp that had been lit. 

“Justin,” He tried to peel the sleeping boy away from him to have more space to breathe since his face was now flaming hot and the color of a tomato. 

Justin mumbled something out inaudibly and shifted closer to Adam who looked like he was gonna die of a heat stroke. Justin's face was pressed into the curve of Adam’s neck and shoulder, and Adam could feel his hot breath on his skin.

“H-hey, wake up.” Adam tried to shake Justin gently to wake him up. Successfully, and luckily, Justin opened his eyes. 

The younger boy backed away so quickly, he fell off the couch with a loud thump. “A-are you okay?” Adam asked worriedly, still flushed. 

“Y-yeah,” Justin stuttered. “Um, sorry for the, um, you know. I...I got uncomfortable sitting and I wanted to...lay down.” 

“Y-yeah, no, it’s totally fine,” Adam tried to assure him, although they both knew that it wasn’t completely fine since they were both colored with a light shade of red. He shuffled forward to help Justin stand up. 

“Oh, hey, you guys are awake!” Zhengting declared when he saw the two boys. “Did you sleep well? You guys slept for quite a bit,” 

“Yeah…” Adam began. 

“Uh-huh…” Justin followed. “Did you guys have dinner?” 

“They all went out to eat, but they told me to stay here with you guys,” Zhengting explained. “I stayed upstairs since I figured you guys might’ve wanted...some...privacy.” 

Zhengting eyed them both skeptically while Adam and Justin exchanged glances, blushing even more. 

“Well, I’m gonna head upstairs. Call me if you need anything.” Zhengting told the two of them before heading back up the stairs. 

And then there were two. 

The two boys glanced at each other again before Justin stated, “I’m gonna go take a shower. I’ll be back, though.” He threw up a peace sign before running up the stairs. 

Adam was then left alone. He finally sat up from the couch and buried his face in his hands. ‘What is going on? He thought to himself.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

It was late at night, although not late enough for Justin to be asleep. Everyone was asleep, just not the young boy who was sitting on his bed, contemplating between difficult decisions which were whether to confess to Adam or not. 

It’s been a while since he discovered his feelings, despite his heart knowing before his brain did. Actually his brain knew it too, he just didn’t want to admit it to himself. Now that he’s accepted it, he admits that it’s been bottled up inside for too long. He decided that he wants to let it out, and what better way to say it to than the person that he has feelings for. 

He thought about waking up Zhengting, maybe ask him for some advice, but decided not to as the older would only screech and wake everyone up. Justin forced himself up and out of his bed, sliding his feet into some slippers. He shuffled out of the room, closing the door quietly before making his way down the hall. He stopped in front of Adam’s room, placing his hand on the doorknob. 

‘Don’t back out, don’t back out, don’t back out.’ He repeated to himself silently. He mustered up some courage, enough to make him push down on the handle and open the door, just a crack. He peeked inside to see Adam sitting on his bed with his laptop in his lap, watching some kind of TV show. 

Justin shut the door and let out a breath. He placed a hand on his chest to calm his heart down and pushed open the door again, wide enough for Adam to notice him. The door swung open, leaving Justin to stand at the doorway awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Adam noticed right away, staring at Justin confusedly, attention completely turned away from the show he was watching. 

“Do you have a minute?” Justin forced out of his mouth, his lips then pressing into a thin line. 

“Yeah,” Adam said, shutting his laptop and putting it away. “What’s up?” 

“Can I come in?” Justin asked carefully to which Adam’s nods, patting a spot on his bed for Justin to sit. 

The younger boy scooted over and sat down, fingers curling against the bedsheets. He doesn’t speak, but rather stared at the dark, wooden floor, practically ignoring Adam’s presence in the room. 

“Justin?” Adam shook his arm slightly. “What did you want to talk about?” 

“I-” Justin couldn’t form words. He lifted his head from the floor, turning it to gaze at Adam instead. He sighed. 

“What is it?” 

“You…” Justin doesn’t finish his sentence, instead receiving a concerned look from the older boy. “I don’t know how to say it.” 

“Okay…” Adam started slowly, he shifted slightly in his spot. “Is it important?” 

Justin shrugged, not really knowing how important it actually is. 

“What is it about?” 

“That’s the thing, Adam. I don’t know how to tell you.” 

Adam didn’t know what to say to that, he didn’t know what Justin wanted to say to him. He sat and stared, wondering whatever could be so important. 

“I just,” Justin began, voice breaking slightly. “I think I like you.” 

Justin looked away when those words came out of his mouth, waiting for a reply from the older boy in front of him. Adam was surprised, though he didn’t move, worried that it might scare Justin. Justin looked so vulnerable in front of him, letting his head drop down to his chest. Adam opened his mouth, didn’t speak, then closed it. 

“I’m sorry if you don’t feel the same way.” Justin started again, tears threatening to form in his eyes. “I just really needed to tell you, and I’m sorry for bothering you.” 

He looked up, meeting Adam’s eyes with his own. “Please,” Justin pleaded. “Say something.” 

Adam didn’t know what to say. He was happy, surprised, and confused. Justin left him speechless once again, just like he normally would. When Justin realized that Adam had nothing to say, he turned around to leave. 

“Wait,” Adam finally spoke out. Justin halted, still faced towards the door when Adam stood up and made his way over. “Justin, I think...I think I like you too.” 

At this, Justin turned around carefully, eyes glistening with shiny tears. Adam spoke again, “I’m sorry for not telling you earlier. The truth is, I...I was afraid.” 

“Of what?” 

“I don’t know, but that doesn’t matter now. I’ve been wanting to tell you since that day on the Ferris wheel.” 

Justin finally cracked a smile. “Why didn’t I notice?” 

“I wasn’t being obvious enough, even though I was still being very obvious.”

This earned a chuckle from Justin, eventually a smile spreading across Adam’s face too. “Can I-” Adam began. “Can I kiss you?” 

Justin was stunned but nodded lightly. He waited patiently as Adam leaned down and captured his lips with his own. He felt an arm snake around his waist, pulling him in closer. He wrapped his hands around the back of Adam’s neck. When they released, a smile spread on both their faces as they knew that they both felt the spark between them. 

“What do we do now?” Justin asked, gazing into Adam’s eyes. 

“You can be my boyfriend?” 

He knocked his head against Adam’s chest, trying to hide the blush spreading across his cheeks. Adam chuckled lightly, wrapping his other arm around Justin as well. “I’m serious, Justin. Be my boyfriend.” 

“I’ve already confessed to you, what other choice have I got?” 

“You’re right. You’re stuck with me.” 

Suddenly, they both turned their heads when the doorbell rang. It was late at night, who could it be?

“Should we go get that?” Adam questioned. 

“Let’s just go downstairs to see who it is.” 

Adam slid his hand in Justin’s before Justin could even realize. He led the younger boy downstairs and walked straight to the door, peeking through the peephole. He was met with a face he had not expected to see. 

“Adam?” Justin tugged on his hand, noticing his reaction to who was at the door. “Who is it?” 

Adam backed away, stumbling slightly. His eyes were wide like he had seen a ghost. He looked into the peephole once again to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. He wasn’t. 

“It’s…” Adam started. “It’s my dad.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D

“What are you...what are you doing here?” Adam’s voice shook as he slowly shut the door. His father was in the house, his clothes reeked of alcohol. Justin tried not to gag and held his breath. 

“What do you mean? We’re all on vacation together, aren’t we?” His father spoke loudly, his rough voice shrilled throughout the house. There was a loud noise from upstairs before the lights turned on. Zhengting was at the staircase when he noticed the scene, letting out a small “oh.” 

“Mr. Fan.” He greeted. “What are you doing here?” 

Zhengting tried not to come off as rude, although it’s hard not to be when you’re talking to Adam’s dad. Soon, everyone woke up and were downstairs, their faces dropping when they spotted Mr. Fan. Justin’s mom was the first to say something that could break up the unwelcoming storm cloud above their heads. 

“You’re back!” She greeted, trying to sound joyful. “Where have you been?” 

“I stayed at a motel for a bit. Other than that, I was on the road.” Adam’s dad answered. Justin then realized that it was probably the first time he’d seen him without a can of beer in his hands. Mr. Fan’s eyes were red and his face was pale. “If you guys don’t mind, I’d like to talk privately with my son.” 

Adam only glared at him, his eyes narrowing. “I have nothing to say to you,” He barked. He backed up a few steps, unconsciously hiding Justin behind him like he was expecting his own father to do something to the younger boy. 

“What has gotten into you, Adam Fan? Disrespecting me like that?” Mr. Fan grabbed Adam’s arm and held onto it tightly. His fingers pressed into Adam’s skin, his knuckled turning white. 

“Let go of my arm.” Adam growled, trying to squirm away. 

“Hey,” Justin stepped in. “Let go of him.” 

Mr. Fan glared at Justin, a low growl threatening to escape his lips. Luckily, Justin’s mom pulled Justin away and whispered something in his ear. He relaxed and stayed by his mom’s side, but still kept a close eye on Mr. Fan, ready if he did anything to Adam. 

“Come with me.” Mr. Fan bellowed closely in Adam’s face. Justin begged in his mind that Adam wouldn’t give into him like he always does. 

Adam didn’t say anything. Instead, he let his father drag him away and out into the yard. When the sliding door shut, yelling was heard. Justin only feared that it probably wouldn’t take long before he would hear a slap. 

“Mom, we have to do something.” He pleaded. 

“I’m sorry sweetie. There’s nothing we can do.” She brushed away some hair from Justin’s eyes. “Why don’t you go back to bed and we’ll deal with this tomorrow, okay?” 

“But, Adam-” 

“He’ll be okay, dear. Just rest up. You can see him tomorrow morning.” 

Justin wanted to protest, but he knew better than to argue with his mom. His head dropped down to his chest and Zhengting pulled him away gently back upstairs, Quanzhe and Zhangjing following along. The adults stayed in the kitchen, knowing that a child’s safety could be in danger. 

He felt dazed. Barely over an hour ago he was in Adam’s room, in his arms. He sat on the edge of his bed while he watched Zhengting crawl into his own. “Don’t worry.” Zhengting said softly. “He’ll be okay. Just go to sleep and you’ll see him in the morning.” 

Justin fell back into his pillow, but he didn’t sleep. When he heard soft snores from Zhengting, he got up and made his way out of the room, making sure to tell his older brother that he was “going to the washroom”, not that Zhengting would’ve heard. He did go to the washroom, but went to Adam’s room instead of returning to his own. 

He noticed that Adam wasn’t in his room. He crawled into his bed, draping the blankets over his tired body. Shutting his eyes, he forced himself to try and sleep but only ended up tossing and turning. Eventually, sleep drifted over him as his brain knew that he was too tired to stay awake any longer. He hoped that he was gonna dream so he could forget about this and stop worrying. 

When he woke up, he heard a noise that had scared him. It was still dark outside which was surprising since Justin could’ve sworn that he’s been sleeping for at least a few hours. 

He looked up to see a stiletto enter the room, the door shutting lightly. “Adam?” He called out, his voice hoarse from being asleep. 

Adam was as surprised as Justin when he halted suddenly. “Justin?” He called out to the younger boy. “What are you doing?”

“I came in but you weren’t in here.” Justin shifted so that Adam could lay down beside him. “Are you okay? What happened with your dad?” 

It was only when Adam shuffled into the moonlight coming from his window that Justin noticed the purple and red spot on his left cheek. He almost gasped, but was shushed with Adam’s finger on his lips. 

“You...your cheek.” He whispered, worry filling throughout his body. “What...what did he do to you?” 

“Shh, I’m okay.” Adam shut his eyes, almost looking too peaceful for this situation. “Please, just go to sleep.” 

Justin was thankful that Adam didn’t kick him out. He let himself snuggle against the older boy, crooking his head against his chest. Two arms wrapped around him and brought him in closer. He felt a pair of lips press softly into his head before a quiet voice said, “now sleep.” 

He had no other choice but to listen to that voice, and let himself fall asleep in Adam’s arms.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i actually wrote another chapter. this one was shorter than i would've liked it to be, but i really just wanted to update today. hopefully the next chapter will be coming soon and hopefully it'll be longer :)

Chengcheng was always a smart boy, always top of his class, always too ‘mature’ to play games. He was always hard to read, always too hard to be friends with. Always in his little bubble, minding his own business. 

When his mother died, he was always quiet. Always too afraid to speak. 

So, when Justin came along, he found that there was more to the world than black and white. Found that there was more than his little hole of emptiness. Found that there was always going to be someone there for you. He found Justin. 

And after his mother died, it was only him and his father. 

Chengcheng sat down at the dinner table, a cup of warm water in his hand. He didn’t dare to look at his father, didn’t want to. 

“Hey, listen, I’m really sorry, son,” his father began. “I shouldn’t have done that last night. You know, I was angry and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Sorry, kid.” 

There he went again. Apologizing after another night of yelling, screaming, and lashing out his anger at his own son. Chengcheng wanted to roll his eyes, wanted to scream at him and tell him how he was always angry, how he was always punishing Chengcheng for it. 

But Chencheng stayed silent, like usual. 

“Are you listening to me, Chengcheng?” Mr. Fan leaned forward, eyebrows tightened into a frustrated furrow. “Are you listening to me?” 

“No.” Chengcheng finally looked him in the eyes, saw the madness in them. “You’re always saying that, dad. You were the one that hit me. _You.”_

__

__“I already told you. I was drunk and mad, I shouldn’t have done that.”_ _

__

__“You’re always mad!” Chengcheng didn’t even realize his tone of voice. “‘I was mad’ isn’t an excuse anymore!”_ _

__

__“Well what else would you like me to say?”_ _

__

__“I don’t know, dad. You shouldn’t have to say anything because you shouldn’t have done anything in the first place.”_ _

__

__Mr. Fan stifled. With nothing else to leave his wretched mouth, he stayed silent, lips pursing, face tightening._ _

__

__“Chengcheng?”_ _

__

__Chengcheng had forgotten they were still in the house. He had imagined they were at home the whole time, fighting like they always were. He and his father had both turned their heads at the same time toward the voice, Chengcheng didn’t even have to look to know who it was._ _

__

__“Justin,” Chengcheng breathed out, almost in a gasp. “Can you go back upstairs? Please?”_ _

__

__“What’s going on?” Justin slowly made his way down, standing at the bottom of the stairs and staring at the scene in front of him. “Mr. Fan, you- what did you do?”_ _

__

__Mr. Fan turned back toward Chengcheng, not even acknowledging Justin’s presence or question. His eyes narrowed, eyeballs seeming like they’d pop out of his sockets, bursting with anger. Chengcheng sighed before turning back toward Justin. His eyes pleaded with apology._ _

__

__“Justin, I’m gonna need you to go back upstairs. I’ll be with you in a minute.”_ _

__

__Justin noticed the look in Chengcheng’s eyes. He knew nothing more than to listen to him. He walked back up the stairs in hesitation, wondering if he should jump in or not. Instead, he trudged his legs back to his bedroom door, trying to listen closely to what’s happening downstairs._ _

__“That boy…” Mr. Fan started, finger shaking as he pointed to the stairs where Justin was standing by a few seconds ago._ _

__

__“What about him?”_ _

__

__“He was the one that tried to interfere with us last night. He disrespected me.”_ _

__

__“He was standing up for me. He did nothing wrong.”_ _

__

__“He disrespected me!”_ _

__

__“He did nothing wrong!”_ _

__

__“Why are you defending him?” Mr. Fan’s voice suddenly fell lower, suddenly felt a lot weaker and meek._ _

__

__“He stood up for me when you were humiliating me in front of everyone.”_ _

__

__“I wasn’t humiliating you.”_ _

__

__“Yes, you were!”_ _

__

__More and more yelling, less problem-solving. It was always like this, just a few more screams before Chengcheng would walk away, either running outside and back into his room. Then his father would come and apologize, he would accept it, letting himself listen to his father’s lies. Until the next few nights, when all of this would happen again._ _

__

__“Are you in love with him?”_ _

__

__Chengcheng jolted to his senses, surprised by the sudden question._ _

__“Are you in love with him?” His father repeated, finger still pointing to the empty space by the stairs._ _

__

__“...”_ _

__

__“So what if I am?”_ _

__

__“You-!”_ _

__

__Chengcheng braced himself, eyes squeezing shut and fists clenching as he prepared for a harsh strike across his face. But instead, he felt nothing, and slowly peeked an eye open to find his father rubbing his temples frustratedly. He stopped, looked back at Chengcheng with gritted teeth._ _

__

__“I refuse to raise a son who is in love with another boy.”_ _

__

__Without another word spoken from either party, his father walked away, door slamming harshly on his way out. Chengcheng didn’t move, couldn’t feel his limbs, his mouth, anything. He stayed silent as always and let his emotions run through his body before feeling the rage rise up against his face._ _

__\---------------------------_ _

__“You again? Seriously?”_ _

__

__Zhangjing rolled his eyes and sighed, going back to the magazine he had in his hands. Yanjun moved up beside him, coming incredibly uncomfortable close to Zhangjing’s face._ _

__

__“You’re reading that magazine upside down.”_ _

__

__Zhangjing eyes averted back, finding that the magazine was indeed, upside down. He closed it with a flap, putting it back on the shelf. “I know, I was just seeing something.”_ _

__

__“Oh, yeah?” Yanjun smirked, dimple coming into shot. “What was it?”_ _

__

__“That is none of your business, Lin Yanjun.”_ _

__

__Zhangjing turned his head around, heading over to the cashier and purchasing a bag of chips. Yanjun watched him pull some cash out, watched him closely in amusement. When the cashier handed Zhangjing back his change, he turned around wanting to exit the store but was faced with a Lin Yanjun standing in the way. “Excuse me.”_ _

__

__Zhangjing tried to go around him, but Yanjun stopped him with a step. Then another step, then another. Finally, Zhangjing glared at him and Yanjun finally moved. Finally._ _

__

__What he didn’t expect was for Yanjun to keep following him._ _

__

__“Why are you following me? Find my presence comforting?”_ _

__

__“Actually, yes.”_ _

__

__Zhangjing groaned. “Don’t you have something better to do?”_ _

__

__“Not really. I just finished my run, so I’m all free for the afternoon.”_ _

__

__“Huh.”_ _

__

__“So, what do you say? Lunch?”_ _

__

__If you asked Zhangjing why he was sitting on a patio across from Yanjun and stuffing a sandwich in his mouth, he would answer with “free food.” If you asked him why he didn’t turn down Yanjun’s offer, he would also answer with “free food.”_ _

__

__Why? Probably because Yanjun may have asked Zhangjing to lunch, and he may have mentioned somewhere that he would pay if Zhangjing went with him. You call it taking advantage, Zhangjing calls it free real estate._ _

__

__“I find your appetite somewhat amusing,” Yanjun teased. “Like a bird’s stomach.”_ _

__

__Zhangjing shrugged, too busy eating to think of a comeback. “There’s barely any good food at the house, plus, Mr. Fan’s back. I’m too scared to do anything around him.”_ _

__

__“Who’s Mr. Fan?”_ _

__

__“Chengcheng’s dad. Total scary guy.”_ _

__

__“Chengcheng was the one with the boyfriend, right?”_ _

__

__“Who? Justin?”_ _

__

__Yanjun nodded._ _

__

__“I don’t know about that. It seems...complicated?”_ _

__

__“Interesting.” Yanjun considered it all, nodding while staring at Zhangjing. “So, I can tell your little beach house is quite busy?”_ _

__

__Zhangjing snorted. “Oh ho, you wouldn’t know.”_ _

__

__“Take me someday.”_ _

__

__Zhangjing paused. His sandwich was halfway to his mouth. He stopped. “What?”_ _

__

__“Take me to the house someday. I’ve only grown up with my aunt, I’ve never experienced a full house of people.”_ _

__

__There was a silence. A moment of Zhangjing thinking it over in his head. “Sure.”_ _

__

__Yanjun cheered quietly to himself like he had just scored a point, and maybe he did. Maybe getting Zhangjing’s validation was like scoring a point for him._ _

__

__“So, tell me more about your background.”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> you've made it to the end! please leave a comment or suggestion and thank you for reading!


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